Rewinding machines



y 13, 1969 E. A. BREACKER ET AL 3,443,769

REWINDING MACHINES Filed Oct. 15, 1966 Sheet of 8 FIG1 INVENTORS M N'uJ M ATTORNEYS May 13, 1969 E: BREACKER ET AL 3,443,769

REWINDING MACHINES Filed Oct. 15, 1966 Sheet 3 of s INVENT R5 wall-414,, w I -khmwl ATTORNE Y5 y 3, 1969 E. A. BREACKER ET AL 3,443,769

REWINDING MACHINES Sheet Filed Oct. 13, 1966 AT TORN E YS y 3, 1969 E. A. BREACKER ET AL 3,443,769

REWINDING MACHINES Filed Oct. 13, 1966 Sheet 4 of 8 WHIIIH ll HIHH Ill J lLH INITII INVEN Mow Cw, ,g/ uldlu aha AT TO R N E Y5 y 1969 E. A. BREACKER'ET AL 3,443,769

REWINDING MACHINES Sheetiof8 Filed Oct. 13, 1966 ATTORNEYS y 1969 E. A. BREACKER ET AL 3,443,769

REWINDING MACHINES Filed Oct. 15, 1966 Sheet 6 of 8 FlG.6a.

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REWINDING MACHINES Filed Oct. 13, 1966 Sheet 7 of 8 IN V EN T RS g ggfi g wamwcm, M4 (0013 ATTORNEYS May 13, 1969 Filed Oct. 13, 1966 Sheet 0f8 #61 II N r 5 0' l 1 LL ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,443,769 REWINDING MACHINES Edward A. Breacker, Kensington, London, and Edouard R. Armelin, Ealing, London, England, assignors to Societe dEtudes de Machines Speciales, Paris, France, a French company Filed Oct. 13, 1966, Ser. No. 586,504 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Oct. 13, 1965, 43,397/ 65 Int. Cl. B65h 19/20 US. Cl. 24256 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A machine for winding a predetermined length of web onto a mandrel comprising means adapted to receive and rotatably drive a mandrel in a position where the free end of said web is attached to that mandrel and at least part of said length of web wound thereon, means engageable with said web when it is being wound and arranged to indicate when a predetermined length of web has been wound, and means initiated by said web length indicating means to cut oil said predetermined length of web when wound.

This invention relates to a machine for use in rewinding Webs of paper or similar sheet materials into smaller rolls of a particular linear length.

One example of such a rewinding application is the printing and rewinding of tickets which are sequentially numbered, such as bus tickets or any other form of ticket or the like which are dispensed from a roll.

It is usual for paper to be rewound from a manufacturers web through a slitting machine so that it is cut to the required width and then passed through a printing machine for the tickets to be printed and numbered and it is then required to be rewound into a roll containing a specific number of tickets. The present machine receives such a web after it has left the printing machine and automatically rewinds it into a roll and cuts off the web when a specific linear length corresponding to a specific number of ticket pitches has been rewound.

According to the invention there is provided a machine for winding a predetermined length of web onto a mandrel comprising means adapted to receive and rotatably drive a mandrel in a position where the free end of said web is attached to that mandrel and at least part of said length of web wound thereon, means engageable with said web when it is being wound and arranged to indicate when a predetermined length of web has been wound, and means initiated by said web length indicating means to cut off said predetermined length of web when wound.

Features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of one embodiment thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal section through the machine,

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal section through the machine viewed from the other side as compared with FIG- URE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal section through the drive arrangement of the machine,

FIGURE 4 is a section along the line D-D of FIG- URE 3,

FIGURE 5 is a section along the line EE of FIG- URE 3,

FIGURES 6, 6a are plan views partly in section of the machine, and

FIGURES 7, 7a are plan views in section of the mandrel drive of the machine.

3,443,769 Patented May 13, 1969 This machine is intended for rewinding web such as printed bus tickets in which the rewinding has to be carried out accurately so that a certain specified linear length or number of pitches of the web, for example one thousand bus tickets, can be rewound into a roll and cut olf precisely. To this purpose, as seen in FIGURE 1, the web 10 passes over a counting cylinder 11 which carries radial projections 12 for engaging in perforations provided in the web so that the cylinder 11 rotates exactly with the passage of the web. The counting cylinder is lightly driven from a suitable electric motor drive, sufficiently to overcome its rotational resistance so that it does not tend to tear the web.

As shown in FIGURE 1 the Web 10 passes from a source (not shown) under a free running roller 108 and then around the counting cylinder 11, over a free running roller 13 and is wound on to one split mandrel 14 of two such mandrels 14, 15 which are themselves rotated to wind on the web and are mounted in a mandrel carrier 16 for index movement about the shaft 17. The web is tucked into a slot 18 formed between the two halves of the mandrel 14 which lies nearer the roller 13 (as seen in FIGURE 1) and rewinding starts when the mandrel 14 rotates. Towards the end of the rewinding operation the mandrel carrier 16 indexes about shaft 17 to interchange the positions of the mandrels 14 and 15, mandrel 14 moving to a discharge position previously occupied by mandrel 15. When the winding operation has been completed two knife blades 20 and 21 are brought together, as shown in FIG- URE 2, by the movement of arms 22 and 23 respectively to cut off the web and at the same time to tuck into the slot 24 formed between the halves of the empty mandrel 15, the next portion of Web to be wound by means of a tuck-in member 25 on arm 22. This member 25 enters the slot 24 pushing the end of the web in and when the member 25 is withdrawn the web end remains in the slot. The mandrel 14 which has been wound with web which has been severed from the remainder, is then a convenient discharge position for the machine operator to remove it, and empty it by sliding the rewound web off one end; and then to replace the empty mandrel 14 before the mandrel carrier 16 indexes again.

The linear length of the web passing over the counting cylinder 11 is measured on a counter driven by means of an eccentric 26, shown in FIGURE 3, carried on an extension shaft 106 which rotates with a shaft 27 on which the counting cylinder 11 is mounted. The eccentric oscillates a connecting rod 28 which actuates the counter carried on shaft 101 by means of a spring loaded pawl 30 driving it in the direction of arrow 31.

The counter is arranged for example, to count up to one hundred revolutions of the counting cylinder 11 which may correspond to one thousand bus tickets, and when one thousand .bus tickets have been rewound mechanism is operated to cut off the web and start the next rewinding operation. In this case the counter has drums for ones and tens. A cam 32 is secured to and rotates with the tens drum and is advanced one tenth of a revolution for every ten revolutions of the counting cylinder 11. When eighty turns of the counting cylinder 11 have been completed a roller 33 carired on an arm 34 is allowed to drop into a notch 35 in the cam 32 and this causes drive to be transmitted to the mandrel carrier shaft 17 to index the carrier 16 so as to exchange the positions of the mandrels 14, 15. Subsequently, when the full one hundred revolutions have been completed a roller 36 of an arm 37 is pivoted on spindle 38 passes into the notch 35 thus initiating the cut-off and tuck-in sequence, to end that rewinding operation and commence the next operation.

The drive for each of these operations passes through a different one revolution clutch of a kind which engages to drive when actuated and disengages at the completion of a single revolution of the driven part. As previously stated at the end of eighty revolutions of the counting cylinder 11, drive is transmitted to rotate the mandrel carrier 16. The drive is caused to be transmitted by the roller 33 on the arm 34 passing into the recesses 35 in the cam 32 and this withdraws a pin 102 from the holding off position of a one revolution clutch carried on shaft 46 and comprising clutch parts 40 and 41. Clutch part 40 is continuously rotating freely on shaft 46 being driven from shaft 42 through gear 43 as shown in FIGURE 4. On actuation of the clutch by withdrawal of pin 102, clutch part 41 is allowed to move towards clutch part 40 under the influence of a spring so that dogs 44 on clutch part 40 engage dogs 45 on clutch part 41 thus transmitting drive to a shaft 46 on which clutch part 41 is splined. The drive passes through gears 46, 47 shaft 48, gears 50 and 51 thus rotating the main shaft 17 of the mandrel carrier 16 on which gear 51 is secured and causing the mandrel carirer 16 to index. One revoltuion of the one revolution clutch part 41 causes the mandrel carirer 16 to index through 180 precisely, allowing spring loaded catch 109 to drop in behind one of the two pins 91 mounted diametrically on gear 51. The catch 109 thus holds the mandrel carrier in its indexed position against the tension in the web being wound.

At the completion of one hundred revolutions of the counting cylinder 11 as previously stated, the cut otf and tuck-in sequence is initiated. This sequence is started by the roller 36 on the arm 37 which is pivoted on shaft 38 dropping into the recess 35 in the cam 32 thus withdrawing a pin 53 from the holding-off position of the one revolution clutch carried on shaft 61 comprising clutch parts 54 and 55.

The exact operation of this one revolution clutch which is the same as for that on shaft 46 is best seen in FIG- URE 5. The clutch parts 55 has a helical surface 56 extending around its periphery. In the disengaged position shown in FIGURE the pin 53 engages this surface 56 and holds the dogs 57 on the clutch part 53 out of engagement from the dogs 58 on the clutch part 54.

When the pin 53 is withdrawn the clutch part 55 is able to move under the influence of spring 60 so that its clutch dogs 57 engage clutch dogs 58 on the clutch part 54 and drive is transmitted.

As the clutch rotates the pin 53 is returned to its original position by cam 32 and the helical surface 56 again engages therewith thus drawing the clutch part 55 out of engagement with the clutch part 54 as rotation proceeds. Finally, drive is broken by disengagement of the respective dogs at the end of one complete revolution.

The drive which is transmitted by this one revolution clutch passes from the clutch part 54 carried on shaft 103, which is continuously driven from shaft 42 through gear 43-, to clutch part 55, through shaft 61, gear wheels 62 and 63, to shaft 64.

Rotation of shaft 64 causes cam 65 and 66 to complete a single revolution and these actuate by way of rockers 104 and 105 respectively the arms 22 and 23, which carry the cutting blades 20, 21 and the tuck-in member 25 to cause the web to be cut and the next portion to be tucked into the empty mandrel.

Also, rotation of the shaft 64 causes the cam follower 67 to be displaced in its slidable mounting by a cam track on shaft 64 and to come into contact with projections 68 on the disc 70 carried on the extension 106 of shaft 27 thereby stopping rotation of the shaft 27 carrying the counter cylinder 11, and preventing further movement of the counter until the cut-off and tuck-in sequence has been completed.

Each of the mandrels 14 and is, as shown in FIG- URE 7, rotated about its own axis by a mandrel shaft 107 as required, by the shafts 107 each being driven through its respective gear 71 which is a planet wheel of the sun wheel 72. The wheel 72 forms an end plate of a multi-plate friction clutch arrangement provided to allow some slip during rewinding so that the web can be delivered at a slightly lower speed than the speed of the mandrel drive to cause tensioning of the web and ensure proper rewinding. The drive is transmitted to the gear 72 by the clutch arrangement from a hollow shaft 73 which is driven directly from gear 74, the drive to this gear 74 coming from gears 75, 76, 77 and from shaft 42, which as previously mentioned, is driven continuously from the drive motor of the machine. The torque transmitted to the sun gear 72 by the clutch arrangement is adjusted by a knurled threaded member 109 which controls the compression in springs 110, which in turn control the pressure between the clutch plates.

The drive to each mandrel 14, 15 from its gear 71 passes through a dog clutch member 78 keyed to each mandrel shaft 107 and these clutch members are alternatively egaged and disengaged by a lever system comprising pivotally mounted levers 80 having followers 81 engaging with a cam in the form of a groove 82 in a sleeve 83. This sleeve 83 can be rotated by lever 84 linked to arm 85, from a cam 86 which engages arm 85, mounted on shaft 64 as shown in FIGURE 3.

The cam groove 82 in sleeve 83 is arranged so that as a follower 81 passes around its generally upper portion during indexing of the mandrel carrier 16, that follower is moved to operate its respective lever 80 to engage its associated dog clutch member 78 to drive its associated mandrel shaft 107. Further the groove 82 is arranged so that as a follower 81 passes under the generally lower portion of the sleeve 83, it disengages its respective mandrel shaft drive. The mandrel carrier 16 indexes through exactly 180 during interchange of the mandrels 14 and 15; however, the upper portion of groove 82 which is effective to engage a dog clutch member 78 is made to extend over an angle of rather less than 180. The etfect of this is that it is not possible for both mandrels 14 and 15 to have their respective followers 81 positioned around the groove 82 so that the drive to them both is engaged at the same time. It is only possible for one or the other :of the mandrels to be engaged. It should be noted however that its is, of course, possible with this arrangement for the drive to both mandrels to be disengaged at one time.

In FIGURE 3, the cam 86, the arm 85 and lever 84 are shown in a position they assume immediately after the mandrel carrier has indexed. The lever 84 is in its most anti-clockwise (as seen in FIGURE 3) position and in this situation, the mandrel at the discharge position or that shown as 15 in FIGURE 6, is being driven while that mandrel which is at the tuck-in position, or that shown as 14 in FIGURE 6, is not being driven.

When the shaft 64 has rotated in sequence to a point where it is about to operate the knife arms 22 and 23 with the respective cams thereon, the cam 86 is so designed that it has moved the arm 85 so as to have moved the lever 84 clockwise to an extent sufiicient to have disengaged the drive from the mandrel 15, but not sufficiently far to have engaged the drive to the mandrel '14. When this point is reached there is a dwell provided on cam 86 which maintains the mandrel drive in this situation. Next the knife arms 22 and 23 are operated as described and the web is severed and the fresh end is tucked into the mandrel 14. As the shaft rotates further, the cam 86 then moves the arm 85 to take the lever 84 back to its most clockwise (as seen in FIGURE 3) position, at which time the pawl 90 which is pivotally mounted on the end of arm 85 as shown in FIGURE 3, drops down on the right-hand side of the upper of the two pins 91 under the influence of spring 88. With the lever 84 in this position, the sleeve 83 is in a position so that the mandrel 14 is now driven, while the mandrel 15 (which is now fully wound with a length of web) is still disengaged from the drive and can be removed by the operator. In this situation, the mandrel 14 is now being wound with web, and the pawl 90 engaging with that pin 91, prevents the sleeve 83 from moving anticlockwise, maintaining the mandrel drive in this situation although the cam 86 is so arranged that it has fallen away as shaft 64 rotates so that it is no longer contacting the arm 85.

When the major portion of the web to be Wound on mandrel 14 has been wound, as mentioned above, the mandrel carrier 16 indexes and as the upper of the two pins 91 indexes with it, the spring '87 is then all-owed to exert its influence to move the lever 84 and the sleeve 83 anticlockwise round with the index motion of the mandrel carrier 16 to resume its most anticlockwise position. This ensures that when the mandrel 14 reaches the discharge position, the drive to it will still be maintained and the situation will again be as shown in FIGURE 6.

It is necessary that an empty mandrel should be aligned in carrier 16 with its slot in a predetermined orientation when in position for receiving the tuck-in member 25 when the web is cut olf and the end tucked in. This is achieved by rollers 92 on the dog clutch members 78 coming into contact with a stationary cam plate 93 which is arranged to suitably align the mandrel as the mandrel carrier 16 rotates. As the respective dog clutch member 78 engages the drive gear 71, the rollers 92, which are mounted on the dog clutch member 78, are moved out of alignment with the cam 93 so that the mandrel shaft is no longer held in this orientation and can rotate.

Referring once again to FIGURE 4 the counting cylinder 11 is mounted on a shaft 27 and is lightly driven through a gear wheel 9'4 an extension shaft 106 sufiiciently to overcome the frictional resistance of the shaft and counting cylinder, as previously explained.

In some conditions it is required to rotate the counting cylinder 11 so as to advance or retard the web without actuating the counter and an arrangement is provided Whereby a pin type clutch between shaft 27 and shaft 106 having pins 95 mounted on a pin plate 96 can be withdrawn from engagement with a clutch plate 97 so that the counting cylinder may be rotated without actuating the counter. Also, a hand wheel 98 is provided so that the counting cylinder and counting mechanism may be actuated by hand.

As seen in FIGURE 5 there is provided a hand wheel 100 to enable the cut off and tuck-in sequence to be initiated by hand so that the web can be cut off and tucked in at any desired position on the web as required when the machine is being set up.

In order to prevent the cut end of a length of Web which has been freshly wound on a mandrel from unwinding, a flap 112 is provided pivotally mounted on the frame of the machine (FIG. 2) which bears on the web as it is wound onto the mandrel in the discharge position of the mandrel as shown at 15. When the operator removes the wound mandrel to empty it, this flap can be lifted out of position to facilitate this. Further in order to prevent the mandrel carrier 16 indexing with a fully wound mandrel in the discharge position a second flap 113 is pivotally mounted on the frame of the machine, and so positioned that a wound mandrel would deflect it if the mandrel carrier 16 indexed with such still carried thereon. The flap 113 is arranged to operate a microswitch 114 by means of a suitable cam arrangement, and the micro-switch 114 is arranged to stop the drive of the machine.

Also shown in FIGURE 6 of the drawings, is the arrangement provided for holding and removing the mandrels 14 and 15 from the mandrel carrier 16. Each mandrel 14 or 15 fits at one end into a shallow socket in the respective shaft 107, and each mandrel has a short pin through that end, which co-operates with a mating slot in the end of the mandrel shaft 107 to transmit the drive to the mandrel. The mandrels are held in position with these pins engaged in the respective slots by means of a pressure pad 117 which has a small recess provided therein to receive the opposite end of the mandrel. The pressure pad 117 is carried in a plug by means of a ball thrust bearing, and the plug 115 is slidably mounted in the mandrel carrier 16 and resiliently biased by means of a spring to retain the mandrels. A hand wheel 116 is provided on the plug 115 to withdraw the plug 115 in order to release or load a mandrel between the pressure pad 117 and the mandrel shaft 107.

We claim:

1. A machine for winding a predetermined length of web onto a mandrel which has a web end receiving slot, comprising a frame, a mandrel carrier rotatably mounted in said frame, at least two mandrel shafts rotatably mounted in said mandrel carrier, at pressure pad rotatably mounted in said mandrel carrier opposite each said mandrel shaft to retain a mandrel in said mandrel carrier between said mandrel shaft and said pressure pad, measuring means for detecting when a predetermined web has been wound onto a mandrel, means for indexing said mandrel carrier in response to said measuring means to successively present each mandrel to a winding position in said frame and then to a discharge position in said frame, knife means also operable in response to said measuring means to sever the web being wound on a mandrel after that mandrel has been carried to said discharge position and to attach the severed end of the web to the mandrel then at said rewinding position, a sun gear drivably mounted for rotation in said frame concentric with said mandrel carrier, a planet gear mounted for rotation in said mandrel carrier in mesh with said sun gear adjacent each said mandrel shaft, a dog clutch member slidably mounted on and keyed to each said mandrel shaft and movably there along between a first position in drivable engagement with the adjacent planet gear and a second position out of engagement with that planet gear, and a cam mounted in said frame concentrically with said mandrel carrier and arranged to engage with said dog clutch members to move them between said positions in response to rotation of said mandrel carrier in said frame.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said cam is angularly movably in said frame about the axis of rotation of said mandrel carrier.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1, characterised that said cam comprises a sleeve mounted for rotation in said frame and having a groove cut therearound and levers are provided pivotally mounted in said mandrel carrier and having followers engaging in said cam groove at one end and engaging with said dog clutch members at the other end.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein said knife means comprises two cooperating knife blades each attached to an arm pivotally mounted on said frame and a knife cam carried on -a knife cam shaft rotatably mounted in said frame, said knife cam being arranged to operate said arms to cause said knife blades to approach the web from opposite sides to sever it, and a tuck in member mounted on one of said knife blade arms arranged to tuck the severed end of the web into a fresh mandrel slot.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein a further cam is provided on said knife cam shaft, a pivotally mounted arm is arranged on said frame in engagement with said further cam to angularly move said dog clutch cam in accordance with said further cam.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein an adjustable friction plate clutch is provided in said frame to transmit a drive to said sun gear.

7. A machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein a cam plate is mounted in said frame and each dog clutch member has two rollers mounted thereon and positioned to engage said cam plate when a dog clutch member is in its second position disngaged from its respective planet gear, said cam plate being arranged to engage and orientate a disengaged dog clutch member so that a mandrel carried by the respective mandrel shaft is disposed with its slot 7 8 disposed correctly to receive said tuck-in member when 2,677,183 5/ 1954 Brenner 24268.4 X the mandrel carrier is indexed to carry that mandrel to 2,686,015 8/ 1954 Stevens. said Winding position. 2,692,090 10/ 1954 Watson 242-5 6.1

2,714,404 8/ 1955 Cadorette et a1. 242-68.4 X

References 5 2,718,362 9/1955 'Piperoux et a1.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,089,660 5/1963 Bilane. 1,958,068 5/ 1934 Raiche. 3,251,562 5/ 1966 Peterson 24239 2,146,848 2/1939 Purdy et a1. 242-56.1

2,668,023 2/1954 Whitson et a1. 24256 WILLIAM S. BURDEN, Primary Examiner. 

